Jags wait for ticket-buyers to respond

As the Jaguars wrap up offseason field activities this week and with the season opener three months away, this question should be posed to the fan base: What has this team not done to legitimately pursue a Super Bowl and earn the allegiance of ticket-buyers?

Just look at what's transpired over the past year and tell me the rock that has been left unturned.

In the critical areas that win and lose football games, nobody can accuse the Jaguars of taking shortcuts. Promoting David Garrard and giving him a long-term contract has given the team much needed stability at quarterback. They addressed the pass-rushing shortage with the drafting of Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves, plus tried to fill the void of a No. 1 receiver by signing Jerry Porter.

A secondary that needed an upgrade now has more versatility with the acquisition of free agent Drayton Florence. And in Jack Del Rio's five years as head coach, the staff currently in place appears to be his best collection and in greater sync with the players.

When you look at the big picture, the Jaguars have left nothing to chance. This franchise has made every effort to try and overtake the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts for AFC supremacy.

"What you want as a ballclub is to be solid all-around, and right now, it looks like we're that way," Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis said. "If everybody stays healthy and the guys we brought in produce like we expect, it ought to be a great season."

Now here's the scary part for the Jaguars' administration: In light of all this progression and coming off the team's first playoff win in eight years, there's still about 4,000 non-premium season tickets to sell to ensure all of its home games being on local television in 2008.

No doubt it's a tough economy, and people must make difficult choices with their entertainment dollars. But with the NFL angling to put an existing team in Los Angeles in the next five years, the last thing Jacksonville wants is to give an impression that this market has trouble filling the low-priced seats (51,000) when the Jaguars' football arrow is pointing up.

If this is a tough sell coming off an 11-5 season in which the offense put up a franchise-record 411 points, what will things be like when the cycle flips and the Jaguars are rebuilding?

"We're getting all sorts of national media attention [for being a Super Bowl contender], and we're entrusting that the marketplace will respond," said Tim Connoll, the Jaguars' senior vice president of business development. "It's a late-buying crowd.

"What everyone keeps forgetting is you can't hurry love. We've only been here 14 years. It takes time to develop things like Hail To the Redskins."

Truthfully, that's a nice way of saying the Jaguars are concerned about locking up the best possible home-field advantage. Whatever is keeping the seats from filling up, it's not because the team isn't spending money to hoist a Vince Lombardi trophy.

Running back Fred Taylor believes this team is "a tad bit better" than the 1999 Jaguars who went to the AFC championship game.

But will that be enough for paying customers to reciprocate and fill up Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in 2008?